Studio News: Weinstein Co. and Dimension Films 2010 Fall Preview

The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films announce the complete slate of films set to be released throughout the latter half of the year.

Compiled by R. Kurt Osenlund, The Good Life film critic


NOWHERE BOY
October 8, 2010—limited
Directed by: Sam Taylor-Wood
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Anne-Marie Duff, Kristin Scott-Thomas, David Morrissey, David Threlfall, Thomas Brodie Sangster, Josh Bolt, Sam Bell, Ophelia Lovibond

Imagine… John Lennon's childhood. Liverpool 1955: a smart and troubled fifteen-year-old is hungry for experience. In a family full of secrets, two incredible women clash over John (Aaron Johnson, star of “Kick Ass”): Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), the buttoned-up Aunt who raised him, and Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), the prodigal mother. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into the new and exciting world of rock n' roll where his fledgling genius finds a kindred spirit in the teenage Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie Sangster). Just as John begins his new life, tragedy strikes. But a resilient young man finds his voice—and an icon explodes into the world.

**BAFTA NOMINEE**
Outstanding British Film
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Best Supporting Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas)
Best Supporting Actress (Anne-Marie Duff)


THE COMPANY MEN
Opening: October 22, 2010 – NY/LA
October 29, 2010 - Expanding
Writer/Director: John Wells
Cast: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson

Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is living the American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and co-workers Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) and Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands, and fathers.
Bobby soon finds himself enduring enthusiastic life coaching, a job building houses for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) which does not play to his executive skill set, and perhaps the realization that there is more to life than chasing the bigger, better deal. With humor, pathos, and keen observation, writer-director John Wells (the creator of "ER") introduces us to the new realities of American life. THE COMPANY MEN debuted at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.


THE KING’S SPEECH
November 24, 2010 – Limited
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall

Based on the true story of the Queen of England's father and his remarkable friendship with maverick Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue THE KING’S SPEECH stars Academy Award nominee Colin Firth (A Single Man) as King George VI, who unexpectedly becomes King when his brother Edward abdicates the throne. Academy Award Winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine) stars as Logue, the man who helps the King find a voice with which to lead the nation into war. The multi-award-winning cast includes Helena Bonham Carter (Alice In Wonderland) as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Guy Pearce (The Hurt Locker), Derek Jacobi (The Golden Compass), Timothy Spall (The Damned United) and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter).


MIRAL
Opening: December 3, 2010 - Limited
Director: Julian Schnabel
Writer: Rula Jebreal (based on her novel)
Cast: Frieda Pinto, Hiam Abbass, Willem Defoe, Vanessa Redgrave

From Julian Schnabel, director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls and Basquiat, comes MIRAL, the visceral, first-person diary of a young girl growing up in East Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in every corner of her life. Schnabel pieces together momentary fragments of Miral’s world – how she was formed, who influenced her, all that she experiences in her tumultuous early years – to create a raw, moving, poetic portrait of a woman whose small, personal story is inextricably woven into the bigger history unfolding all around her.


BLUE VALENTINE
December 31, 2010 – Limited
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman, Faith Wladyka

BLUE VALENTINE is the story of love found and love lost told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) use one night to try and save their marriage. BLUE VALENTINE debuted at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.


EASY MONEY (SNABBA CASH)
Opening: TBD 2010
Directed by: Daniél Espinosa
Writer: Maria Karlsson

JW is a poor student who lives a double life within the wealthy Stockholm elite. He falls in love with an upper class girl and is soon lured into a world of crime. Jorge is a fugitive on the run from the police and the Yugoslavian mafia. His plan: import a massive cargo of coke and then disappear for good. Yugoslavian hitman Mrado is trying hard to find Jorge but his criminal life takes a turn when he is forced to take care of his young daughter. While JW starts a journey into the dark world of organized crime, he brings together the fate of all to a struggle of life and death. Easy Money is a Swedish crime thriller based on the International best-selling book Snabba Cash by Jens Lapidus. The book is the first installment in Jens Lapidus’ Stockholm Noir Trilogy.


REIGN OF ASSASSINS
Opening: TBD 2010
Directed by: Chao-Bin Su
John Woo
Writer: Chao-Bin Su

A skilled assassin finds herself on a quest to carry the mystical remnants of a Buddhist monk through China. A team of deadly assassins follow her, placing her in a fight for her life as she attempts to put the power-wielding secret of the monk to rest.